Battle Tactics
When battling opposing warships, tactics are just as important as the warship employed. It has been proven that while a force may have all the technology it could have over an enemy, the pooreer enemy could still fight a fight by using superior tactics, though weapon placement can mean the difference between demolishing enemy ships and sitting hopelessly in the water as your ship is slowly pulverized by the opponent's gunfire. While unable to cover all situations, these techniques should cover most. General Here are general tips to fighting opposing warships #Know your ship! Fight according to design specifications. For example, if your vessel is a fast boat, employ hit and run and use speed and distance to keep them from hitting you. If you employ submarines, recognize which situations would favor underwater torpedo attacks and surface gunfire. Tactics will vary per category and even per ship. #Choose maps wisely! Different maps require different strategy. For example, the Island and Night Sea maps encourage close-range confrontation due to various obstacles that hinder a clear line of sight to opponent, while the other maps have longer-ranged fights due to the clear line of sight inherint in the open sea. #Lead in! Shells have to fly in an arced trajectory, making aiming at extreme distances difficult. This is further compounded if the vessel is moving. Keep in mind while any said weapon could theoretically hit targets at the distance said, their effective range is only two-thirds to one-third of the said distance. An exception comes in the Mk 45 5 inch gun. Due to its much flatter trajectory, higher shell speed and rapid rate of fire, its effective range is very close to the 15.6 km theoretical range. A torpedo's effective range is no more than two miles away for the Torpedo Tube B and the Triple Torpedo Tube, while the Torpedo Tube A's effective range is essentially point-blank. This is becuase torpedoes are much slower than shells and equally, if not more, visible than shellfire. #Be Mobile! Moving does not decrease your accuracy greatly, while making it harder for the enemy to be able to destroy you. By being mobile, you can position yourself in an advantageous position, and then proceed to demolish enemy warships. This is why Fortresses do not fare well in battle- their massive size and the general lack of mobility compared to other vessels makes them vulnreable to any ship that has lots of firepower such as large battleships, aircraft carriers and submarines. Battleship Tactics Battleships are the most common vessel in the game, as the first vessel any player receives upon download and one of the most flexible ships. Because of the prevalence of this warship, there are countless variations to the design. Because of the variations, the vessels will be generalized. Such generalizations will not fit every vessel, but should cover most. Other vessels may be a hybrid vessel, possessing the attributes of some but not all of various categories. *''Fast Boat (Frigate): Any small, lightly-armed, high-speed surface vessel. They usually carry light guns, torpedoes and antisubmarine weapons. As the skipper, utilize long-distance armaments to chip away at their ship while moving to dodge their gunfire. As an opponent in general, lure them in close- closer vessels are easier to hit and fast boats are no exception. Plus, due to their emphasis on using speed and distance for protection, they will lack the durability found on other vessels. If a fast boat, dodge their shells while firing back. Keep your distance. Carriers should continue to operate as normal- aircraft have unlimited strike distance, and while air attacks are inaccurate, they are devastating. If they come close, a carrier's best bet is to use its guns to kill the boat. A battleship should rely on its rapid-fire weaponry to bring down the boat, for the fast boat will be faster and more maneuverable. In the three cases above, always try to destroy the boilers- a fast boat dead in the water is a dead fast boat. Submarines, while immune to their weapons at range, should still approach with caution- your torpeoes are not exceptionally accurate nor fast and fast boats may posses antisubmarine weaponry. *Destroyer: Any moderately armed, medium-sized surface vessel that possesses a high degree of maneuverability and speed. These ships could be said as an in-between for a fast boat and battleship. As a skipper or opponent, treat it as a fast boat for all intents and purposes, but keep in mind that such a vessel would be tougher than a fast boat and may even have the equivalent firepower of a small battleship. Any ship possessing the mobility of a fast boat and the firepower and even the armor of a small battleship makes this vessel highly versatile. Due to this, this is the optimal vessel to use against submarines. *Battleship: Any surface vessel that has a proportionate amount of armor and evenly-spread firepower across the decks. They may be armed with any weapon, but usually use guns. These are the most common warships in the game, since the My First Battleship would be classified here. As the skipper, you would possess a general-purpose warship that can take as much punishment as it can give. This vessel relies on speed and maneuverability. Steer your vessel in a position where it could deal the most damage. A high-risk high-reward tactic is to "Cross the T", with your ship at the top of the T. Your vessel will now provide the most amount of firepower at the cost of becoming easier to hit. The enemy will not be able to dish out as much firepower as you can, thus winning a damage race easily. This tactic is not recommended against submarines and battleship killers, for your firepower is redundant and you are now a submarine's easiest target, and battleship killers will simply have an easier time to kill you, for they have no firepower loss. Engaging the enemy frontally may provide a harder target to hit, but will reduce the effective firepower your battleship has. Carriers, if they choose to engage in a gun duel, should be treated like a battleship. As an opposing battleship, you should prevent the opponent from crossing the T, though battleship killers will be at a disadvantage if the opponent is behind you . Submarines are a powerful counter, because the battleship will usually be big enough to hit, torpedo hits are lethal to them and they will not be able to destroy you due to the fact you are underwater. Beware though, for a battleship may possess antisubmarine weapons, easily lethal to any submarine. They may also possess enough armor to tank the torpedoes sent. *Battleship Killer (Older Destroyer): Any surface vessel that has a proportionate amount of armor and firepower and a majority of its armaments centered to fire forward. They are generally large vessels with the 46cm Triple Gun and the Mk 45 5 inch gun, as well as multiple batteries of lighter armaments. Because of the design, maneuvering is a key component of battle on both sides. As a skipper, utilize the massive forward firepower of the ship to crush enemy vessels. Always keep either the front or the sides of the vessel facing the enemy. As an opposing battleship, try to attack from the rear- while providing the same target area as the front, you avoid having to face the glut of the weapons. Keep in mind that any builder would have some guns in the back, but with the emphasis of forward attack, your arms should be sufficient to bring any resistance here down. Boilers will most likely be here, so destroying them should disable the battleship- and ultimately destroy it. Aircraft carriers and submarines should treat this ship as a battleship for all intents and purposes- a battleship hull could be easily modified to be a battleship killer and vice versa. Also keep in mind that battleships will generally have a slight emphasis of forward armaments, as many of its main batteries woudl be on the bow. Therefore, a good distinguishing factor between standard battleships and battlehship killers is that standard battleship main batteries would face both bow and stern while battleship killer main batteries would be almost exclusively face the bow. An example of this type of vessel would be the HMS Nelson, purchasable in the Build New Ship tab. *Fortress: Any platform-like surface vessel that possesses great armor and firepower with little or no regard to mobility. They generally have very large amounts of main batteries and Mk 45 5 inch guns. As a skipper, use your immense firepower to kill enemy vessels while accepting the massive amount of punishment delivered. The Mk 45 5 inch gun and massive 25mm antiair batteries should be employed for antiaircraft duties. Or better yet, use the massive size of the ship to deploy fighters or bombers to attack enemies beyond the range of your guns. As an opposing battleship skipper, use both maneuverability and speed to avoid their shells while firing broadsides into the fortress, since near-stationary targets are very difficult to miss. Aircraft carriers will be extremely effective, wrecking the enemy with bombers while their guns are ineffective. Keep in mind some builders may incorporate fighters, complicating attack and defense. They would undoubtedly have massive anti-air batteries, purging scores of aircraft from the skies. Submarines are also at home, for the ideal target for a submarine are large, slow ships- exactly what a fortress is. Proceed with caution, as the Hedgehog and its standoff range is sitll lethal, and the sinking wreckage of a fortress would crush any unfortunate submarine underneath it. *Rams: Any high-speed, high-durability surface vessel whose main form of attack is through ramming. While ramming can be done by any vessel, these vessels are specialized to ram. Other vessels may not be properly considered rams, but have been designed to do so as an emergency weapon. Despite their name, they usually possess deck weaponry in case a ramming attack is unfeasible. As a skipper, positioning is vital, as attacking in a certain angle may determine the battle. If the target is bigger than you, attempt a glancing attack, for such an attack will leave you less damaged than your opponent. If the target is smaller or of equal size to you, then attempt to hit them squarely amidships- you will outdamage them easily. If either attack is unfeasible due to the sheer amount of firepower or speed, use fast boat tactics. As an opponent, treat them as a fast boat- any vessel with a high-damage output would make any reasonable skipper give second thoughts about hitting your ship. If firepower does not stop them, deny them good positioning and engage in a gun duel. Aircraft Carrier Tactics A relatively expensive vessel to make effective, they are unboubtedly lethal at extreme ranges. They could destroy ships beyond the range of the feared 46 cm gun. But if a carrier is caught in the crossfire of an enemy ship of the same level, a carrier will be at a severe disadvantage in close-range warfare due to design compromises. As a skipper, keep your distance and rely on your warplanes to deal damage. If all warplanes are destroyed or the enemy vessel is severely damaged or has inferior gun-based firepower, engage the enemy in a gun duel. Assuming the vessel was of equal level and is lightly to undamaged, you would lose a battle easily due to the design compromises necessary to fit a flight deck and aircraft. Treat submarines as you would as a battleship skipper- since no current aircraft has any realistic antisubmarine capability, the only options to antisubmarine warfare is the risky depth charge and the costly Hedgehog. Against a rival aircraft carrier, utilitze the same antiaircraft fit that battleships employ in addition to fighters, if possible. Utilize divebombers more than the torpedo bombers, for divebombers are easier to be brought down ''after they deal damage while torpedo bombers are easier to be brought down ''before ''they deal damage. Plus, divebombers are infinitely cheaper, requiring only resource instead of rare metal. Fighters can ruin opposing carriers since they can destroy the bombers and fighters easily. If you carry fighters, make sure they get launched first. Once 2/3 of them are out, follow them with your zoom. The enemy fighters are going to meetup with your fighters at a spot. This can be a great time to shoot the enemy fighters down with the Mark 45 5 Inch Gun. When opposing the carrier as a battleship, a key is to be on the move- carriers rely on distance to keep them safe, and moving fast also hinders the accuracy of the utterly destructive divebombers. Assuming you are the same level as the carrier If you engage in close-quarters combat, a battleship would generally win due to the fact that the carrier relies on warplanes instead of heavy guns to deal the glut of damage. Beware- when fighting on Open Level, some designs may possess heavy guns akin to battleships and most likely batteries of the Mk 45 5 inch Gun, creating an extremely dangerous warship that is equally adept at most battle situations. Submarine Tactics A submarine is arguably the most powerful adversary to any vessel. It can destroy the mightiest of warships while nearly immune to enemy gunfire and warplanes. Only two weapons could menace the vessel when underwater- the Depth Charge and the Hedgehog. A skilled submarine skipper could navigate their submarine in opaque conditions. As a skipper, utilize the depth gauge to have an idea on how deep your submarine is- while it is immune from weapons, it is certainly neither preferrable to lose because the sub sank too deep, nor to have you underestimate the depth and surface, with lethal results to the submarine. It is reccomended to slow your speed before turning, and not put your engine in reverse. If facing fast ships, attempt to spam torpedoes at them, since they will be forced to dodge them. Your main strength lies in the water- no gun could sink a submarine while it is underwater. A submarine on the surface is asking itself to be shot and sunk. Your ideal target is large, slow ships, for the torpedo is not very accurate and small ships are harder to hit. Fighting another submarine is a tricky issue, for there are no weapons that can realistically sink another submarine while both are underwater. Ramming is possible but can damage your submarine significantly, making such a tactic lethal to both sides. Thus, the safest option is to engage in a surface gun battle. This itself is risky, for the opponent may remain underwater, placing you at a disadvantagous situation. However, this could be partially countered if the submarine who surfaced possesed antisubmarine weaponry. However if a gun duel between submarines arises, then the submarine duel becomes a battleship duel. While submarines are not easy to kill, they are easy to evade- a submarine's average speed in a battle is between 45-70 knots, while equivalent surface warships have speeds over 100 knots. With such a speed advantage, a surface warship could simply make the battle unwinnable for both sides by making a retreat. A submarine is also a sluggish vessel underwater- a surface ship under skilled hands and armed with antisubmarine weaponry could outmaneuver a given sub and then sink it. Experienced opponents would have known about the dangers of submarines and would take either action against you. Fast boats could dodge, if not outrun, your torpedoes and then demolish your prized submarine with Depth Charges or Hedgehogs. Battleships may be armored heavily at the waterline, to the point of making torpedo attacks ineffective. Engaging in a surface duel against a surface ship will certainly end in your destruction, unless significant damage has alreadly been done or your vessel has a surface firepower advantage.